Sunday, October 16, 2016

It's been a while since I posted on this blog. I'm sorry about that. I don't have a good excuse for you other than to say that life has been incredibly busy, in a great way.

I enjoyed a great summer, spending time with my son who just turned three! Wow, where is the time going? We worked really hard on potty training, and although he still has his moments, I can say that we've definitely saved money on diapers since he's transitioned to using the potty. Well, most of the time!

Here's my sweet boy at his 3rd birthday party in September!

I wanted to write a post on how building our family's emergency fund has enhanced my life. And it has done so in a major way.

After much deliberation, my husband and I decided that I would not return to work as a teacher this school year. That has been a decision years in the making, but we didn't feel that we were financially in a place to do that until now. After releasing my savings book (check it out here), we were able to eliminate our household debt by paying off my car and student loan. Then we started piling up any extra cash and were able to quickly establish our full 3-6 month emergency fund. And that enabled us to make the decision for me to be a SAHM for this season!

It's been an emotional rollercoaster for me. I've had days, especially in the beginning, where I was so sad to give up a job that I like a lot. I mean, who wouldn't want to teach music to sweet little cherubs every day? Except when they're not so sweet! But overall, I am really enjoying my life and time at home with my boy. We've bonded more than ever before, and I know that's due to the extra time we get to spend together. I don't believe I'll always be a SAHM, but in this season, I wouldn't wish for anything else.

Being able to quit my job and not worry so much about finances is only one huge benefit of our saving money. Another perk is that I've been able to work on and fund some of my dreams. Currently, I have two projects in the works, a novel releasing soon and a vocal warm-up program for singers, that I'll be using some of my stashed-away savings to fund the creation of. Unfortunately, product creation takes money for all of the preliminary work that goes into it, but I made a plan to set aside some extra $$ so I could work on these. Without that cash, both projects would still only be dreams on paper. With it, they're coming together before my eyes!

Another benefit of our savings is being able to plan and take our version of a vacation. I say our version because we use vacation time to visit my family who lives about 15 hours away. Most of the time, our trips are for extended weekends, but this time, we've planned a trip that spans 8 days! While we're visiting with family, Jamie and I get to travel 3 hours south for a business conference and have our own date weekend. I can hardly wait!

Posing with my book. Can you tell I'm proud?

I wrote today to give you an update on what's happening in my world and also to let you know that none of it would probably be happening were it not for the journey I went on with saving money and the book that came out of it. 8 (Really Creative) Ways to Save is that book and I would love to see it make a positive impact on your money too! Check it out here.

What are some of the things you've been able to do with your savings? Leave a comment below!